Sun 2.2.

Félix Guyon of Les Ateliers Guyon in the village of Vercheres near Montreal, Quebec has designed an urban structure inspired by wind and water on the banks of the St. Lawrence river.

‘Sails’ park benches by Les Ateliers Guyon, photo: Félix Guyon

The municipality of Vercheres commissioned the designer to create a monument honoring the founding families of 1670. This urban structure “transports us into a history that is as collective as it is personal” says Guyon. “I immediately transported to the seventeenth century, a time without roads; when the only means of transportation was a ship, propelled by water and wind.”

‘Sails’ park benches by Les Ateliers Guyon, photo: Félix Guyon

“The concept is simple: create an unusual work where users can comfortably sit and contemplate to the sound of wind and waves, along the majesty of the banks of the St. Lawrence.” The designer wanted to create a memorial while integrating functional street furniture so he imagined sails of white oak, concrete and metal, echoing an early chapter in the village’s history.

‘Sails’ park benches by Les Ateliers Guyon, photo: Félix Guyon

The white oak chosen by the designer is the same type of wood that was used in the seventeenth century for the construction of sailboats and barrels. The work is also tilted 10 degrees both to give the impression of sails flying and for users to be comfortable.